


Mine to Protect

by ren (renegadewriter)



Series: Don't Make Agent Coulson Polite and Friendly. You Won't Like it When He's Polite and Friendly [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Agent Coulson is a Badass, Bruce Needs a Hug, Don't Make Agent Coulson Polite and Friendly, Don't mess with his people, Gen, Phil is not amused, Ross - Freeform, Stupid Mercenaries, You Won't Like it When He's Polite and Friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-21 23:04:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11954553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegadewriter/pseuds/ren
Summary: Bruce knew he shouldn't have stayed in New York. Now he was going to be taken by Ross and he wasn't sure if the Avengers would find him in time. Coulson has something to say about that.





	Mine to Protect

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this back when the Avengers films first came out but never published it. Was going through some of my old documents and found it. Since I've been in a posting mood this week I thought I'd better post this before it was left forgotten again for years. Hope you enjoy it!

Bruce saw the army men before they let themselves into the tea shop he was in. The window was small, the sunlight probably reflecting on it, allowing the team no doubt sent to extract him to make mistakes, let their presence be known. He took several deep breaths to keep himself calm, looking around for any possible escape routes. But this was a small shop, its owners an old Chinese couple. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with small wooden drawers filled with every kind of tea leaves and herbs imaginable. The only other door was behind the counter and led up to the flat of the old couple: Mei-Xing and her husband Li-Liang. Both had been nothing but kind to him, their wisdom having seen in him a troubled soul and had done everything to make him feel comfortable. 

 

The front door was his only choice at this point. Bruce had no wish to Hulk-out and destroy the couple's livelihood, not to mention at least ten blocks in every direction. 

 

Bruce let out a resigned sigh. He would not let Ross destroy the lives of people, make him accountable for their injuries and deaths. He wasn't afraid, not too much. The team would get him out. 

 

Right? 

 

Taking a deep breath, he left the bags of tea on the counter, apologizing quietly for the disturbance and left, gait slow and head down. 

 

The door had yet to close behind him before at least twenty men were circling him, guns drawn, all of them shouting for him to kneel on the ground. A glance to his hand showed a red dot, the rest of his body no doubt covered in them. 

 

Bruce got on his knees, not wavering in his resolve, telling the Hulk to quiet down, to not make a mess. He was not amused, roaring and cursing at puny Banner for being weak and a coward. Bruce paid him no heed. 

 

It kind of pissed him off that the soldiers were _still_ screaming at him. One would think they would have learned by now that screaming, threatening and shooting at him was _not_ going to calm him down. 

 

"I will go with you." He said, only loud enough so the closest soldier could hear him."I will go with you, put your weapons down." Louder, more demanding. These guys were idiots. Ross was getting really desperate. At least in Brazil, he had hired professional help. Ignorant, but professional nonetheless.

 

A man lowered his gun, walking up to him. Before Bruce knew what was going on, the butt end of his rifle connected with his head, sending the scrawny scientist to the ground.

 

_‘Stay. Down.’_ He ordered, the Other Guy too close to the surface for comfort. 

 

"Get him in the truck." Someone said disdainfully. 

 

"We have to tranq him first." Another one added coldly. 

 

"Then do it!" 

 

Bruce's last thought before a large needle was stabbed into his neck, was that he really, really hoped he had not misplaced his trust in the rest of the Avengers. 

 

********

 

There were a lot of things Bruce expected to feel and see when he woke up again. Cold for one. Ross never bothered to wrap him in a blanket; restrained to either a bed or a wall, his wrists aching and possibly bleeding from the pressure; either bright lights shining in his face half blinding him, or in pitch-black darkness as a form of sensory deprivation; ominous faces looming over him, cold piercing instruments poking and cutting at him; needles in his arms and neck, drugs flowing freely; and even Ross himself mockingly staring at him, satisfied smirk on his face. He expected to feel numb, terrified, exhausted both mentally and physically, sometimes he would feel far away and noises would be muffled, vision blurred. 

 

Which was why, he was surprised, though pleasantly if albeit very confused, to wake up warm, wrists free and smooth, on a soft bed with a plushed duvet draped over him, in a natural lighted room, feeling only mildly groggy. 

 

A few glances around showed it was _his_ room, in the tower Tony had offered as their home. He let out a relieved sigh, the Other Guy giving a hum of contentment, though he too was confused by this strange turn of events. 

 

"You're awake." 

 

Bruce startled at the voice, quickly sitting up, senses instinctively on alert, the Other Guy rising his head at the adrenaline spike. If waking up in his room surprised him, seeing Agent Phil Coulson suit and all, sitting casually, legs crossed and a folder no doubt filled with paperwork on his lap, in the armchair in the corner of the room right next to the window completely perplexed him.

 

"Age-" Bruce coughed, his throat dry. A secondary effect of the drugs he was too familiar with. Before he could try again, Coulson had closed the folder, which was now placed firmly under his arm, and was handing him a glass of water. 

 

Bruce gave him a thankful look, gulping down the cool liquid. Thirst was also a secondary effect he hated. Especially when he was on the run in a country where pure water was difficult to find, unless he had some local currency. Which he generally didn't. 

 

"Thank you." He said softly, returning the glass. "What happened?"

 

Coulson placed the glass carefully on the nightstand before meeting his eyes. 

 

"Ross made the mistake of going after you, Dr. Banner. It was taken care of." 

 

Obviously. Thought Bruce, but didn't say it aloud. That would be mean. 

 

"They found me? That was…" He fought for a word. Ross was very secretive with the places they took him and any other ‘experiments’ to, almost reaching the point of paranoia. It was a miracle they had found him at all. "…quick." He frowned. Something didn't make sense, but who was he to question his fast recovery? At least for now.

 

Coulson smiled, the edge of his lip twitching, eyes shinning with a secret. 

 

"Still. It was bound to happen." Bruce said, his mind now clear of the surprise of waking unharmed and with Coulson near to focus on the problem. "I shouldn't have stayed. Ross is too obsessed with capturing the Other Guy to care about the people around me." He sighed in resignation. "I have to leave." 

 

"No. You don't." Coulson's eyes weren't shinning any more, and he definitely wasn't smiling. There was a steel edge to his tone, eyes hard, posture determined. "I told you. It was taken care of. Ross will not be bothering you again. And I swear, Banner, if you run and make me have to endure Stark's whining I _will_ hunt you down and drag you back myself if only to get him to shut up."

 

Bruce frowned. "But-"

 

"No buts. Rest, get your strength up. We'll talk more once you're feeling better. " His piece said, the Agent turned and walked to the door, pausing momentarily to look over his shoulder. 

 

"I'm glad you're all right." Bruce blinked, but smiled at the retreating agent. 

 

The door clicked shut, and the doctor let himself fall back on the bed. He was still feeling the aftereffects of the drug, and he felt entitled to some more peaceful sleep after the living nightmare Ross's presence made him go through. 

 

He was mildly surprised not to be bombarded by the others, but it was to be expected. Getting him out from the General's clutches must have been hard. Ross’s holding centers were always a fortress, and it was by sheer dumb luck Bruce had been able to escape the past times. Though every time Ross learned from his mistakes and fixed them. Were he to be caught again, he was sure there would be no way out unless the team fought their way in and out. Concern and guilt filled him suddenly. He hoped no one was hurt. If only he hadn't stuck around, this wouldn't have happened. 

 

"Jarvis?"

 

"Yes, Dr. Banner?"

 

"Are the others all right? Was anyone hurt?" He paused a moment, thinking. "How did they find me so fast?" For some reason, it was really bothering him, even if he should be grateful. 

 

The AI was silent for a moment, as if contemplating answering him, which only served to worry Bruce even more. 

 

"Jarvis?"

 

"Dr. Banner. As far as I know, no one knew you had been captured. It has been exactly three hours since you left for the tea shop. Agent Coulson came in with you unconscious close to two hours ago."

 

Bruce frowned, staring at the ceiling. He had been gone for at least an hour when Ross's men showed up. It was impossible. Someone must have seen him being taken down, that's why they hadn't had a hard time finding him. Ross hadn't managed to take him anywhere. But then… 

 

"You said, no one knew? But, Coulson-" 

 

"Indeed. Agent Coulson has only recently informed the rest of the team of what has transpired. Each of the members were scattered around the city. Captain Rogers was in Brooklyn, his GPS implying he is possibly breaking several traffic laws in getting here as fast as he can. Mr. Barton and Miss. Romanoff are also approaching the tower in a somewhat reckless manner. I have located Thor in New Mexico via Miss. Foster's cellphone and is most likely flying over. Mr. Stark…"

 

"Bruce!" 

 

"…is right outside your door."

 

Bruce jumped as the door slammed open, once again bolting upright, the Other Guy growling underneath his skin, annoyed at the sudden spike in adrenaline yet again but not bothering to come out once he recognized Metal Man. 

 

The billionaire ran into the room, looking around for any danger, before settling on a very puzzled scientist sitting up in the middle of the bed. He approached the side, looking at him up and down, hands grabbing his head gently and turning it to see the wound the needle left behind. 

 

"Son of a bitch! What the fuck happened!?"

 

Bruce swallowed. "Uh, Ross. He-"

 

"SON OF A BITCH!"

 

"Okay, who do we have to kill?" 

 

Bruce and Tony turned in time to see Clint walk in, quiver strapped to his back. Fingers curled tightly around his bow. Natasha wasn't far behind, eyes murderous. 

 

"Guys-"

 

"Ross! He tried to take Bruce! He tried… he tried." Tony stopped his rambling to stare back at Bruce in confusion. "Wait. How did you escape?"

 

"I-"

 

"FRIEND BANNER! I AM INCREDIBLY RELIEVED TO SEE YOU WELL AND OUT OF HARM'S WAY! DO TELL WHO HAS DARED ATTEMPT ON YOUR LIFE, I SHALL HAVE WORDS WITH THEM!” Thor's booming words reached them before the demigod had even entered. His large presence and echoing voice making the room seem smaller. 

 

"What happened? Is Bruce all right?" Steve Rogers' appearance made it worse. 

 

"Does he look all right to you!?" Tony yelled, pointing at the offending injury on his neck. 

 

"Stop being such an ass Stark, it's a valid question."

 

"Aye, I too would wish to know the extent of Friend Banner's injuries, if only to inflict double the pain on his attackers." 

 

"Can we focus on the problem at hand? I want to know who did this." 

 

Bruce rubbed his temples, everyone's screaming upping his fatigue, adrenaline dying, even the Other Guy didn't have the energy to make a fuss. He appreciated their concern, and if he had been in a better state of mind, their hovering and panicking over him would have really touched him. As it was, he just wanted some peace and quite. "Look guys, I'm really tired. I'm fine, can we leave this for later, I honestly just want to sleep into next week right now."

 

Everyone stopped yelling, looking at the slumped form of the doctor, his exhausted expression and pale skin. Sharing glances, Tony nodded. 

 

"Okay Bruce. We'll…uh, go wait outside." He walked backward, the others following his lead and stepping back out of the room. "Sleep…well." He finished awkwardly, hands making wild gestures, unsure what to make of this weird turn of events. 

 

As soon as Bruce heard their somewhat hesitant footsteps retreating down the hallway, he laid back down for the second time, closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh. 

 

"Jarvis?" He called after a few moments, sleep almost upon him. 

 

"Yes, Dr. Banner?"

 

"Do you know what happened? What _really_ , happened?"

 

"All I know is that Agent Coulson brought you back to us. As far as I'm concerned... That is all that matters." 

 

Bruce smiled at Jarvis' soft tone, letting a low agreeing noise before falling asleep, the darkness being willingly welcomed this time.

 

****

 

It took a few days for him to catch Coulson alone. The rest of the team wouldn't let him out of their sight. It had been endearing at first, but soon grew annoying. Specially when Thor volunteered to carry his 'book' just yesterday, and he found Clint stalking the vents over his lab, or Tony was suddenly trying to go everywhere with him. 

 

What had bemused him, was their frustration at not being able to locate General Ross and 'teach him a lesson'. Not even Natasha and her wide range of questionable connections could get a hit on him. 

 

While the team was following yet, another lead, Bruce sat across from Coulson at the kitchen island, the Agent working on some ever-present paperwork while the doctor looked down at his tea with a frown.

 

"Agent Coulson-"

 

"Phil." 

 

Bruce blinked, startled. As far as he knew, only Clint and Natasha got to call him Phil. It was a thing. 

 

"Um, okay. Phil?"

 

"Yes, Dr. Banner?"

 

Bruce licked his lips, shifting the cup in his hands. "That day, you were there weren't you? You got me out." He paused, gathering his thoughts, not sure what he was searching for yet. "Why? I mean, there was no reason for you to be there." Pausing again, he considered his next words. The possibility had been haunting him since he woke up after a long eight hours of restful sleep, and now he was dreading the answer. "Are you- Is SHIELD still keeping tabs on me? Making sure there's no chance of the Hulk getting loose again?" 

 

The Other Guy stirred, getting riled up by his own anger and fear. "Am I under house-arrest? Am I being monitored? I-" He would have kept going if Coulson hadn't put a hand up to stop him. 

 

Bruce's mouth shut with a clack, teeth meeting abruptly. They sat in silence, tea and paperwork forgotten. As moments went by Bruce feet his anger diminish, replaced by shame. Coulson just stared at him, eyes pensive for a moment before softening. 

 

"I won't lie to you. Yes, SHIELD does monitor you."

 

Bruce felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on him. He wasn't trusted. He expected this but somehow, it just brought back up a lot of defenses he hadn’t noticed he’d lost while in the midst of the Avengers. 

 

"But not in the way you think." Coulson continued, voice as soft as his eyes. "At first the Council wanted you on the Helicarrier, caged and monitored in very invasive ways."

 

Why was Coulson telling him this? Bruce felt the blood drain from his face. 

 

"Fury and I fought against them. We fought tooth and nail, until finally, we just told them to fuck off." Phil sighed, sitting straight. "The Council keeps tabs on all of you, some more than others. You and Rogers are on top of their list. Thor escapes only because they do not want an army of gods to rain down on them. And they think Natasha and Clint are already in their grasp." He let out mirthless chuckle. "The fools." 

 

Bruce stared, unsure what to think. 

 

"When I say SHIELD monitors you, I mean that Fury and I make sure no one gets to any of you. Especially you. Rogers can take care of himself, and taking him would cause public outrage, something not even the Council would survive, but you are easy prey. So we keep watch, and take care of any threats." 

 

He was sure his hands were shaking. Bruce was sure his _whole body_ was shaking. Not in fear, or in anger… but in gratefulness. 

 

“R-Ross?”

 

Coulson’s smile grew dark. “He won’t be bothering you, or anyone anymore. I _personally_ made sure of that.” That’s why the others couldn’t find him. Bruce didn’t know what to think about that. He hated the man, was terrified of him... but to want him _gone_? How would Betty react to this? He sighed, knowing that while it would hurt her, she would not hold a grudge for it, and probably say her father had it coming. 

 

There was something though, something liberating in knowing the man would never be able to come after him again. The Hulkbusters would be shut down, the whole project would. There wouldn't be any more experiments, no more labs he could be taken to. 

 

He was free. 

 

"I-" Bruce couldn't meet Coulson’s eyes, his own blurry with tears. How pathetic was that? Crying in front of the Agent?"Thank-"

 

"There is no need to thank me, Dr. Banner. I am your handler, and you are mine to protect." Bruce shut his eyes, wave after wave of pure _relief_ running through him. Smiling, he gave up the fight, and looked up into Coulson's determined eyes. 

 

"Bruce." 

 

Coulson blinked.

 

"Pardon?"

 

"You can call me Bruce, Phil." 


End file.
